18 September 2015

I've been seeking a deeper understanding of the chakras this
week, preparing for the second class of my new webinar program on Living With Kundalini. I've started this webinar to bring
people together from all over the world who are living with spiritual
awakening, most of whom have felt isolated in the process. There are 21 people in the current
class, from parts of Europe, the U.S. and Canada, and now that I am learning to
navigate the internet meeting approach, I can see the many gifts of bringing
people together in this way, and I hope to offer more classes.

There
are many books and discussions of chakras, and it can be overwhelming to sort
out how they actually impact a person's direct experience.I am reframing this understanding in a way thatI feel will be most useful for those going through a
spiritual emergence,or who are in
a kundalini process.So I've woven
my own perspective of watching thousands go through awakening, with the
classicalteachings of Kundalini
Tantra, and written an essay for my website www.kundaliniguide.com. It's called
Chakra Experiences in the Awakening
Process.

Having
so much information about chakras can be confusing, and often it is very
esoteric, so a reader misses the profound implications of how their function actually
relates to spiritual awakening.For example, the second chakra, which is usually understood as related
to sexually and procreation, is also the seat of deep collective unconscious
material. So if in your awakening
there is an eruption of demonic images, or overwhelming fear, it is likely
there is energy being released as kundalini moves through this area. If a few
weeks earlier you have had a blissful opening to expansive bliss (6th chakra)
you may be shocked and appalled to find these darker energies appearing in
dreams, visions, or emotional upheavals.

Chakras, with all their symbols, represent
vortices of energy wherephysical
and subtle bodies intersect with consciousness, and each of the seven usually
identified as most significant in spiritual awakening, have unique energies and
hold patterns in our psyche.A few
of these, from the base upward, are our foundational sense of being in a body
(1st), our sexual and collectiveinstinctual energies, (2nd) our sense of power and capacity in the world
(3), our ability to love, be creative and feel compassion (4th),our potential to discriminate and deal
with the opposites (5th), and our capacity to know cosmic consciousness and our
true nature (6th and 7th).

Various spiritual traditions focus on different chakra areas
for awakening but ultimately everything we hold comes to the surface to be
transformed and awakened as well. We might wish this would happen in an orderly
fashion but it does not -- energy returns over and over to complete deeper
levels of clearing in our bodies.

So
if you wish to understand more about how your chakras are related to you own
spiritual awakening, or ifyou
justyou wonder how they might
influence how you function in everyday life, you may want to read the new essay on my website: Chakra
Experiences in the Awakening Process.

12 September 2015

As Kundalini energy moves through the body various issues, even pain, can arise in chakra areas. Usually a person who has activated kundalini has not prepared themselves in the ways recommended in classical kundalini yoga. Some systems say 12 years of preparation is required before the energy is awakened if all is to move smoothly, and this is done through physical cleansing practices, strict diet requirements, gradually adding more advanced breathing practices, sitting in specific yogic styles, and releasing various egoic tendencies through obedience to the teacher and system. It is clear that 99% of those who activate this energy have not done these kinds of preparations and are not interested in doing them. In some cases, yogic masters say that a person who has activated energy spontaneously must have done lifetimes of work previously for this to happen. But our present bodies have not been present during all those lives, so they need adjustments and releases.

My perspective is that many factors come into play to cause a person to be available to this opening (which I have enumerated on my website and in my books) but most often there is a long and gradual process as the subtle body energies, physical body, and psyche adapt to this new energy flow. One must be patient and take time to address old psychological issues and to adjust their life to the new patterns the kundalini energy is calling for. So when there is pain in the body that doctors find no reason for or heat arising, or strange blockages where energy seems to be stuck this is because some clearing is needed since it was not done before the awakening. Some spiritual seekers believe that an awakening will erase all past psychological issues, but if this should happen it is only temporary. Some old beliefs, preferences and habits will fall away or transform, but deeper issues will then come to the surface, and the energy must return to clear the blocks that were created by these experiences. For an awakening to become stable and comfortable it appears that we have to see through all our old patterns, holdings and attachments, recognizing they are not definitions of who we are. Until this happens we are likely to feel divided, or caught in "I got it. I lost it" syndrome, seeming to fall in and out of positive awakened states.
One commenter asked about pain in the neck and shoulders that seems to have no medical source. This is the area of vishuddha, the throat chakra. There are several possibilities for this kind of pain. Energy is often blocked here because most of us spend a lot of time holding back our self-expression or our emotions. It's as if everything unsaid is locked into our subtle energy field. Sometimes spiritual seekers believe they should never feel anger, and so when something outrageous happens to them they swallow their feelings in order to be "spiritual" and forgiving. I met one person who seemed to have tourette's symptoms as his face jerked spontaneously, but once he released anger these problems went away. One does not need to act out the anger, but simply find a safe way to move it out of the body through expression by yelling (at no one) or writing and just fully acknowledging it.
Another reason for pain may be an old injury that has been locked in the system and needs to be released. Kundalini seems to be trying to remove anything tight or damaged in the body. Some call these blocks. Wherever your energy seems stuck and keeps returning to with jerks or discomfort over and over is generally seen as a block, caused by physical or emotional holding from issues in this life or possibly a previous life. Sometimes it is even an issue related to your birthing experience, or your mothers experience when you were in the womb. Also a stiff neck may be caused by the way it has been held for years, and gentle body work can help to open it. Cranial-sacral work or acupressure might be useful.
In yoga there are 3 major "granthis" or "knots" in the body which must be released in this process. These are believed to be points where the power of ignorance and attachment is particularly strong. One is in the solar plexis area, where we are attached to pleasure, material things, and having things go our own way; the second is in the heart area where we are attached to our emotions, certain people, our personal visions and passions; the third is in the the third eye area where a person may open and then become attached to psychic powers and attribute them to their personal identity.

So as energy moves through to change consciousness and make your energy field as open as possible, these are a few of the clearing challenges that may arise. They can be addressed through therapy (if it is rooted in a past traumatic experience), using sounds such as the Bij mantras to open chakras, yoga postures that are for stretching and relaxing that area, meeting the pain directly with presence and love, guided imagery, acceptance and surrender and in other ways that you might intuitively discover. Taking good basic care of the body is important in this process and releasing personal demands that life be just the way you want it -- learning to live in the flow of the river -- as the Taoists say-- is helpful. This is why quieting the mind or at the least not being driven by thoughts, can be helpful. Our thoughts are often focused divisively, telling us what is wrong and worrying about it, blaming us and others for it. Bring awareness down into the heart or the belly and see if you can be present more fully where you are at any moment. This calming will support the opening of intuition which may be able to suggest some new directions to resolve those challenges in your process.

$200 fee, plus you may
arrange your own housing. Details to be sent on request.

Bonnie is a transpersonal psychologist and a non-dual teacher in Adyashanti's lineage who has worked with spiritual emergence and kundalini issues for over 30 years and is the author of "Energies of Transformation: A Guide to the Kundalini Process", "The Kundalini Guide" and "The Awakening Guide" Please contact her at kundinfo@mindspring.com if you wish to register for this special program.

This valuable weekend
workshop will help you understand and gain positive tools for living with the
activation of kundalini energy.

The
opportunities in this small group include

·Discussing your concerns and questions with others who understand
because they have had this experience.

·Hearing both yogic science perspectives and modern
interpretations of the inner revolution triggered by the kundalini process

·Finding clarity about the function and purpose of this awakened
energy

·Learning tools for helping your mind, body and spirit live more
comfortably and harmoniously with spiritual awakening.

·Discovering the grace of fulfillment in the kundalini process.

You will be responsible for finding your own housing for
this program, which is held in a charming tourist town with numerous hotels and
B and B's. To fly you would come to the Medford, OR airport, 14 miles from
Ashland. Information on housing and travel will be sent with registration
confirmation.

08 July 2015

So perhaps you have had a shift of energies and perspective,
and you are wondering how it will impact your significant relationships. You
seem to no longer be caught in old familiar patterns and you are facing
non-ordinary energetic rushes, emotional clearings, internal vibrations and a
sense that nothing really matters in the way it used to.And now your partner is wondering what
has happened to you and why you are changing.

There are several levels of spiritual awakenings but the two
shifts that have the most challenging impact on relationship are the awakening
of kundalini energy, which plunges your energetic system into many new
phenomena, and the realization of consciousness in its vast and unbounded state
of being the All, which transforms your understanding of who and what you are.

The shifting in energies, called kundalini awakening,
changes how you feel, as it revs up and redirects subtle energies, shaking out
the body, raising heat, and sending out rivulets of bliss or spasms of pain.The subtle body is restructuring
itself, releasing old contractions, moving you from one emotion to another,
even triggering moments of unfathomable sadness or irrepressible joy.Whatever you were like before this
arising of kundalini you are not the way you were, and this is very
disconcerting for the family and friends. In addition they may sense your
energies and be uncomfortable around them, and be upset that you have lost
interest in sex and socializing.You
will very likely feel that no one understands what you are going through. (This
in itself is an important concept to release -- that you need to be
understood.)

If you have had a spiritual realization, a sense that you
are not your small identity but instead are an indescribable awareness (at
least when you are living in the moment) the chances are you no longer feel
needy, no longer want to carry on as if little things mattered, and no longer
enjoy bonding by discussing mutual problems and practical issues around the
house.You may be drawn into
nature, or meditation, prefer silence to the television or the social events,
hate going into crowds and big box stores, and generally appear to be a
different style of character than you were before the awakening.Partners get alarmed when this happens.Work may also suffer as you can't
concentrate the way you used to, and care little about doing anything that seems
superficial.

Although I could (and may) write a book on the many changes
that might influence your relationships, for this moment I offer just a few
suggestions for reorienting your life.

Understand you do not need to leave a relationship that
holds value, love or meaning for you just because of these changes.But if it is toxic, draws you into substance
abuse, or feels abusive you may need to leave in order to sustain your sense of
presence.It is a false perception
that someone who is enlightened ought to put up with anything. Awakening can be a call to action as
well as a call to acceptance. In
other words, you need to support your awakening by doing what feels right to
you.You need to take time to
consider whether this is where you want to be -- for many reasons you may feel
drawn to stay, and for others you may be drawn to go.Just be sure if you want this relationship that you consider
the following questions:

1.How can I
help my partner live more comfortably with the changes in me?

Even if you do not feel needy anymore (and many
relationships are built on mutual need) you can want to be there -- because you feel respect, love, stability,
partnership, mutual values related to your kids, or an opportunity to face the
parts of you that are not yet awake!Living with another brings up many hidden patterns within us that may
not have shifted in the initial moment of awakening, and still need to be seen
through as part of the old identifications.If your partner senses you are no longer needy, let him or her
know you want to be with them.

No matter how you feel, your partner may still need something
from you.What are you willing to
give? Let him or her know.Be sensitive and supportive. If you are in the energetic phase you
may still need something from others -- what are you able to ask for and show
appreciation for if it is given?

2. How can I speak of what is happening without using exotic
and incomprehensible terms?

You can speak of the physical impact of your meditation
practice being felt as energy, you can speak of mood shifts that feel a little
disorienting and try to find a sense of humor about it, you can lean more
toward curiosity than fear in speaking of the process, and you can be very
clear that you do not need to be understood. Do not expect someone who has
never experienced this to understand it.If they are fearful it is because they care about you and want to fix
it, but as you know they cannot.This
is very uncomfortable for people who believe they should fix things.You may have to find new ways to
approach asking for what you need from the relationship, and become very alert
to how you can support them in adjusting to it.Find someone to talk with that understands the experience,
such as a spiritually oriented counselor or a friend on a similar journey.

3. Why is everything I used to care about falling away?

It is inevitable that old identifications and patterns collapse.You may not have expected this when you
began spiritual seeking, so now you are shocked.But the old you was built on conditioning, defenses,
distractions and memories that are no longer so relevant.The needs of your body may be different
-- for example, you may need to give up alcohol, mind-altering substances, red
meat, over-stressing yourself physically or mentally,and other patterns because you notice you feel lousy when
you do them.Your subtle and
psychic energy is focused now in one direction, rising or descending through
the chakras to promote healing and clearing of old beliefs, patterns, traumas
and emotional wounds. Your energy field is more sensitive and picks up the
fields of others more readily. Eventually in a full awakening there is a rising
of internal energies (think of it as the life force) until there is a realization
of your true essence, and consciousness awakens itself.This is followed by a gradual coming
alive of the body in a new way through which the transformed consciousness can
be expressed.In the process the
sense of an "I" fades or becomes irrelevant and all it has been
attached to gradually drops away.The uniqueness of what you were, your preferences, and your skills are
not lost but these are held more lightly.Many relationships thrive with these changes but some cannot.You will have to stay conscious in your
relationship to help it endure, if that is what you wish.

4.Can I use
relationship to keep evolving?

Relationships with partners and families are primarily what
will offer you opportunities to grow further, let go of more attachments, and
develop compassion and sensitivity to the human condition.No matter how awake you are or how
distracted by the ups and downs of your spiritual emergence you are still
located in a human body and human world.Take time to lean into this as if it mattered, because to only be awake
when you have escaped out of life is to only be half-free.

The heart opens when it breaks, the mind opens when it truly
is present with another, and enlightenment stabilizes when you can be available
to what is, free of compulsion but willing to meet the dance of creation
however it is flowing for you.

When your anger or sorrow, irritability or demands, and other
inconvenient emotions are triggered (after you thought they were gone forever)
here is an opportunity to see what may lie still in the dregs of your
unconscious waiting to be liberated.

Relationship can be a significant part of the spiritual
journey to wholeness and peace. It offers grounding. It
provides allies in the world of form and offers multiple ways of seeing into
the delusions of thought.The role
of celibacy in the Indian tradition may be necessary for young men entering
monastic orders, especially if they practice complex breathing and pranic
energy exercises to activate energies.However marriages are an
important aspect of life for many Buddhist masters, Sufi mystics and Cabbalists
in the Jewish tradition as well as the scores or ordinary people who are
awakening today.What is important
is recognizing what is right for you, and even this changes from time to time.If you are in an awakening process it
is time to recognize and honor your own autonomy by listening to your deepest
Truth. Being at peace in relationship may be your final crucible.

02 July 2015

If you are having experiences of energy winding or rolling
up your spine, creating involuntary spasms, and rippling in strange ways
through your body, you are possibly one of thousands each year experiencing
what is known as a kundalini rising or awakening.You may feel frightened or disoriented by this non-ordinary
shift, but if you can relax with it and understand it as simply a dynamic of
your own evolution it can become a treasured ally on your spiritual path.

When we understand that all of creation is formed as
molecular structures, mostly space and energy manifest in a multitude of forms,
it becomes easier to meet the empty/spaciousness and the enhanced vibrational
energies that appear in our bodies, and face all the changes they invite.

There are many reasons people suddenly have these shifts and
awakenings.Often an intense
spiritual or energy practice will open the body to the heightened energy known
as kundalini by the ancient founders of the yogic system.Sometimes an intense concentrated
period may activate this sleeping power, even such innocent practices as
biofeedback, meditation, prayer, love-making, or the charge projected by the
touch of another person who has this awakened energy. In the thousand reports I
have collected over the last 30 years many people write of spontaneous
awakenings, sometimes in moments of great interior stress,or while using plant medicines or
psychedelics, or while sitting in silence at retreats.So if you are feeling as if your energy
field has jumped from 110 to 220 or even 2200 you are not alone, although
unfortunately you live in a culture that is totally unprepared to understand
the power and potential of this experience.

If your experience plunges you into fear and anxiety, if it
explodes you into ecstasy, or if it hits the brain centers that produce imagery
you will likely be afraid you are losing your mind, and if you meet up with the
wrong therapeutic model others will support this interpretation.But some part of you will know this is
real and it is meaningful, even while the mind freaks out about it. If you can
just be curious and open instead of afraid and contracted this will help it
calm down considerably. You need to nourish the witness within you, that which is simply aware.

Kundalini energy is an aspect of your own life force.It is what happens when the normal
pranic energy field or bioenergy of the body is infused with a powerful rush of
energy from the base of the spine, the feet, or occasionally pours down into
the body through the top of the head.Naturally you are startled.Even people in spiritual communities who have longed for awakening for
years can be both astonished and terrified by this new dimension of interior
activity.It was a naive
assumption that spiritual awakening would be a sweet, simple release into peace
and harmony and improved character and life would be forever blessed. It is true that awakening leads
ultimately to peace and harmony, but it does so by stripping away every
identification we hold dear, and releasing every old bit of suffering and
confusion, all of which was held in our minds, bodies and subtle energy fields.It tries to release all stressors and
heal all wounds, in the process freeing us from our assumed self image and
personal history.

I have come to see kundalini as essentially a clearing out
process, and then an opportunity to live from clear seeing and presence, which
doesn't change the content of life itself, but profoundly impacts our
relationship to it.

Whether kundalini activation is sudden and traumatic, or
slow and gentle, it is almost always a factor in a full spiritual realization
process.It may initiate the
process of consciousness awakening, or it may fall into place after an initial
shift of consciousness into the recognition of It's true relationship with what
we might call Source or Universal Consciousness, (that which cannot truly be
named, but we try!)This might be
called the non-dual experience, and to the mind it might feel empty and
unbounded while to the spirit it is felt as unlimited spaciousness and
dissolution into the whole (or some such image).Utimately awakening is the stable recognition of what is
awake in every moment here and now, and not the dramatic experiences, visions,
insights, dramas and traumas that may accompany it for awhile.All experiences will pass.More will appear. Life is awakeness
moving through experiences. Awakening helps us to take it more lightly, to feel
peaceful even when we're not, and to find beauty in the every day forms we
encounter.

If you are in an energy awakening process and would like to
be part of a small-group weekend workshop in Ashland, Oregon, planned Aug. 28,
29 and 30 please let me know. I offer this program once every year or two and
will be happy to send you more details.My email is kundinfo@mindspring.com. You may also find helpful my new books "The Kundalini Guide" and "The Awakening Guide", available on Amazon and Kindle.

Of special interest to my readers will be Living With Kundalini, available in two programs, an internet gathering or as a residential weekend in Ashland, Oregon.

The internet program will meet the 1st and 3rd Fridays of September, October
and November from 12 noon to 1:30 Pacific time.You may join us from anywhere in the USA and Canada, and
much of Europe if you make adjustments made for your time zone. The fee is $50/month for 2 sessions a month. To register email Bonnie at kundinfo@mindspring.com. Here are the details:

This Zoom Internet program will
be available to no more than 20 people who wish to learn more about the
kundalini process, share information and concerns with others who are in this
process, explore ways to help the process become more calm and effective, and
feel less isolated in the changes they are experiencing.This will be a live meeting where you can meet others through
the web who are in this awakening process.

There will be six initial sessions, each including a 30-minute
talk and an hour of sharing on a video meeting hookup through Zoom. You will be
given a code to connect easily into the Zoom video chat room. Zoom is free for
you. Topics will include an overview of how the energy works in the subtle
body, how and why awakening happens, the categories of experience that are reported
in this process, the challenges and the blessings of the process, and ways to
move from energy chaos into spiritual realization.Those who wish may be paired with a partner for
conversation between sessions, suggestions will be made for writing, and your
questions may be submitted for shared discussion.

30 minute talk and 1 hour of sharing

If you work with people in this process and you would be
interested in a second group for doctors, psychologists, LPC's and other
professionals please let me know as I may set up a second series for
professional training.

You are invited to come to Ashland and attend a weekend
workshop with Dr. Bonnie Greenwell designed to help people understand and gain
positive tools for living with the activation of kundalini energy.

The opportunities in this
small group include

·Discussing your concerns and
questions with others who understand because they have had this experience.

·Hearing both yogic science
perspectives and modern interpretations of the inner revolution triggered by
the kundalini process

·Finding clarity about the function
and purpose of this awakened energy

·Learning tools for helping your
mind, body and spirit live more comfortably and harmoniously with spiritual
awakening.

·Discovering the grace of
fulfillment in the kundalini process.

I am a licensed professional counselor with a Ph.D. in transpersonal psychology, and also a non-dual teacher in the lineage of Adyashanti. I have specialized in and trained therapists
to work with spiritual emergence issues for over 30 years. This workshop is opportunity to understand the changes of energy that accompany awakening and
meet others who are also in this process. Private sessions will also be
available for an additional fee the day following this event if requested.

Ashland is a delightful town
to visit with theater and a lovely park and many places to stay, including camps,
hostels, hotels and many Bed and Breakfast places.You would fly into Medford OR, about 15 miles from
Ashland.and should arrange your own housing.

To register send me an
email at kundinfo@mindspring.com, and I will respond with further
information.

_____________________________________________________________________

OPENING TO GRACE MEDITATION
RETREAT

Camp Latgawa in the
mountains of southern Oregon

Friday Sept.25, 10
a.m. until Sunday Sept. 27, 2 p.m.

$265 including shared
room (2) and all meals

This weekend is an opportunity for silence and for deepening
of your spiritual intention and meditation practice, for self-reflection and for falling into openness and grace. The
emphasis will be on meditation, and finding inner stillness and presence.

After our initial introductions and opening Friday lunch we
will hold silenceuntil Sunday at
lunch, except for satsang sessions where you will hear dharma talks with
non-dual teacher Bonnie Greenwell and be able to ask questions.Interspersed with guided and silent
meditations, there will be free time for you to journal or paint, walk the
labyrinthe, hike to a waterfall, or sit for additional meditation time.Qigong will be an option before
breakfast in the morning.

This program will be held in a rustic camp and beautiful
mountain setting, about an hour from Medford airport in Medford, Oregon.You are asked to bring a sleeping bag
and pillow.We will arrange shared
transportation from the airport if needed.

For further information about the camp or retreat site or to
register, contact the organizer, Becky Hale, (541) 601-3084 or
bec.hale4@gmail.com

Science & Non-duality Conference

I'm pleased to be included among the speakers at the Science and
Non-Duality Conference at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose next October 22-
25.This is a great event bringing
together many non-dual teachers (several from Adyashanti's lineage) with
scientists from varied disciplines to explore the commonalities of our
perspectives of consciousness.For
information and to read about all the speakers go to
www.scienceandnonduality.org.

17 February 2015

One of the greatest challenges for people who have activated kundalini energy is anxiety related to the odd, stressful, embarrassing and occasionally painful phenomena that may arise. Since anxiety makes this experience more difficult, here are a few notes on ways to release the anxiety and find more
balance and harmony in the midst of this process.

1. If you have a history or trauma or abuse the energy may
be triggering sensations that felt invasive and painful in the past.Emotions may arise even though you do not recall
the cause. Sometimes the body stores memories that the mind does not recall. If trauma is part of your life history find a
therapist to talk through old and difficult history.

2. Make a ritual every morning for when you awaken instead
of lyingin bed worrying – get up right
away – and decide what would lift your spirits such asplay some music you like, take a shower,
start an indoor garden with pots of flowers you tend, dance, talk to a good
friend, sing, give yourself a mantra such as I am free, whole, available to
love and enjoy my life– you create it.You may feel resistance to lifting yourself out of the anxiety and have
to force yourself at first, but if you want to be well you have to learn to
live in a new way.You were happy for a
while so you have that capacity and you need not to let the fearful side of
yourself (the pain body as Eckhart Tolle calls it) overrule you.

3. One of the truths that awakened people know is that No
Thought is True! Thoughts are just neurons firing, usually based on past
conditioning.You need to question any
negative or fearful thought. It is just the mind carrying you away to a place
that is hurtful.When you have a fearful
thought, Can you try to bring your attention to the moment instead – that mean
to bring awareness into the heart and feel your feet on the ground, look around
the room and feel you are there right now, and that nothing bad is actually
happening, ask what is needed right now and move into the here and now.Put something uplifting or beautiful in each
room of your house.

4.If you do not
already meditate, learn to meditate or sit in silence, bring awareness into the
heart or belly. Find the natural stillness deep within.

5.If you are dealing
with excessive heat avoid caffeine, spices, wine and other alcohol and
honey.You might get a book on Ayurveda
that has a test you can take to tell you your body type, and see if there are
food recommendations for that type.Usually people in this process tune into their bodies to see what feels
right regarding eating meat.When you
have indigestion look at what you ate that day and see if you can avoid it for
awhile.

To calm heat and energy try taking a bath with Epson salts
in lukewarm water, going for a walk or even a jogging run, putting attention
into the heart and imagining love flowing out on the exhalation, or distracting
yourself with some activity you enjoy.

Try a cooling breath – stick out tongue and curl it.Breath in through the mouth over the tongue.
Close mouth and swallow, Slowly exhale through the nose. Try this 2 or 3times when you feel the heat.

6.. Find something to do each day that you love andlook forward to.Experiment.It might be art, baking something new, connecting with a special friend,
a dance or gentle yoga or deep relaxation class – when energy awakens it draws
us to live an authentic life – to be really true to ourselves.

7. Do not place attention on any fearful message passed on
by someone else – avoid projections that are not based on deep wisdom and
experience related to this process. Be careful about who you follow on the
internet – if they are trying to recruit you or frighten you they are not
working in your best interest.This is
not being caused by some outside energy or anything wrong you have ever
done.It is your own life force which is
in a process to help you become free of your old patterns, identifications and
suffering.

8. Insomnia is a common problem associated with
kundalini.There is more energy in the
body and it tends to become active when you are trying to relax.

However in our culture millions of people have insomnia –
mental preoccupation and worry is a major factor. Here area few general rules for managingit.

Have a completely dark room.

Do not use computer, phone or electronics for two hours
before bed.

No caffeine.

No sugar in evening and eat lightly at night.

Some people do find some good wholegrain bread is helpful in
evening.

Count your breaths backward from 100 to 0.

Go to bed at same time each night.

If you lay awake a long time, just get up and do something
else such as read a comforting or boring book for a half hour. (Or scrub the
bathroom floor – this will be a disincentive for staying awake!)

Get more physical exercise.

If you are worrying about something write it down and put it
aside.

Listen to a relaxation tape.Sounds True has an insomnia set of DVDs that has general information and
relaxation meditations.
Try Tranquil Sleep – a melatonin mix that is over the counter at health food
stores like Whole Foods.It’s a chewable
tablet. Take it 2 hours before bedtime.

Ask your partnerto
give you a food massage – or share this with him or her.

9.Your interest in
sex, food and socializing may go through radical ups and downs.This is common during this process depending
on where the energy is working.It is a
time to explore autonomy – really following your own inner guidance about what
is best for you.These ups and downs
will level out eventually.

There is more guidance for people in this process in my new
books The Kundalini Guide and The Awakening Guide, available on
Amazon and Kindle.This experience is a
natural correlate of spiritual awakening, and as you learn to live with it you
are likely to find bliss moments, and surprising insights arise.Learn to ride the waves and come to
understand what spiritual awakening is really all about.

About Me

For over 30 years I have mentored and consulted with people in the process of kundalini awakening or spiritual emergence. I wrote "Energies of Transformation: A Guide to the Kundalini Process" in 1990 and recently published "The Kundalini Guide" and "The Awakening Guide" for people who need support and understanding as they move into spiritual awakening.

I was a founder of the Kundalini Research Network and currently I own Shanti River Center in Ashland, Oregon.